Code Section

44100.  

The Legislature hereby finds and declares as follows:

(a) Emission reduction programs based on market principles have the potential to provide equivalent or superior environmental benefits when compared to existing controls at a lower cost to the citizens of California than traditional emission control requirements.

(b) Several studies have demonstrated that a small percentage of light-duty vehicles contribute disproportionately to the on-road emissions inventory. Programs to reduce or eliminate these excess emissions can significantly contribute to the attainment of the state’s air quality goals.

(c) Programs to accelerate fleet turnover can enhance the effectiveness of the state’s new motor vehicle standards by bringing more low-emission vehicles into the on-road fleet earlier.

(d) The California State Implementation Plan for Ozone (SIP), adopted November 15, 1994, and submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, calls for added reductions in reactive organic gases (ROG) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from light-duty vehicles by the year 2010. One of the more market-oriented approaches reflected in the SIP, known as the M-1 strategy, calls for accelerating the retirement of older light-duty vehicles in the South Coast Air Quality Management District to achieve the following emission reductions:

(e) A program for achieving those and more emission reductions should be based on the following principles:

(1) If the program receives adequate funding, the first two years should include a thorough assessment of the costs and short-term and long-term emission reduction benefits of the program, compared with other emission reduction programs for light-duty vehicles, which shall be reflected in recommendations by the state board to the Governor and the Legislature on strategies and funding needs for meeting the emission reduction requirements of the M-1 strategy of the 1994 SIP for the years 1999 to 2010, inclusive.

(2) The program should first contribute to the achievement of the emission reductions required by the inspection and maintenance program and the M-1 strategy of the 1994 SIP, and should permit the use of mobile source emission reduction credits for other purposes currently authorized by the state board or a district. Remaining credits may be used to achieve other emission reductions, including those required by the 1994 SIP, in a manner consistent with market-based strategies. Emission credits shall not be used to offset emission standards or other requirements for new vehicles, except as authorized by the state board.

(3) Participation by the vehicle owner shall be entirely voluntary and the program design should be sensitive to the concerns of car collectors and to consumers for whom older vehicles provide affordable transportation.

(4) The program design shall provide for real, surplus, and quantifiable emission reductions, based on an evaluation of the purchased vehicles, taking into account factors that include per-mile emissions, annual miles driven, remaining useful life of retired vehicles, and emissions of the typical or average replacement vehicle, as determined by the state board. The program shall ensure that there is no double counting of emission credits among the various vehicle removal programs.

(5) The program should specify the emission reductions required and then utilize the market to ensure that these reductions are obtained at the lowest cost.

(6) The program should be privately operated. It should utilize the experience and expertise gained from past successful programs. Existing entities that are authorized by, contracted with, or otherwise sanctioned by a district and approved by the state board and the United States Environmental Protection Agency shall be fully utilized for purposes of implementing this article. Nothing in this paragraph restricts the Department of Consumer Affairs from selecting qualified contractors to operate or administer any program specified pursuant to this chapter.

(7) The program should be designed insofar as possible to eliminate any benefit to any participants from vehicle tampering and other forms of cheating. To the extent that tampering and other forms of cheating might be advantageous, the program design shall include provisions for monitoring the occurrence of tampering and other forms of cheating.

(8) Emission credits should be expressed in pounds or other units, and their value should be set by the marketplace. Any contract between a public entity and a private party for the purchase of emission credits should be based on a price per pound which reflects the market value of the credit at its time of purchase. Emission reductions required by the M-1 and other strategies of the 1994 SIP shall be accomplished by competitive bid among private businesses solicited by the oversight agency designated pursuant to Section 44105.